Premier League Star Michael Owen Linked To Glory, A-League

Former EPL star Michael Owen may be on his way Down Under.

January 5th, 2013Robert White

2012 A-League finalists Perth Glory are interested in acquiring former England striker Michael Owen in another example of Australian clubs seeking out former superstars in the twilight of their careers as a way of building interest in the league.

The Glory are in talks with the former Liverpool and Manchester United striker’s management as they seek a replacement for Irish striker Billy Mehmet, moving on to play in Turkey. Currently having what can only be described as a quiet season in the Premier League, Owen's name may be more of what the club is after rather than his on-field production.

Perth confirmed their interest Owen, but admitted negotiations haven’t yet moved beyond initial stages and the club still is unsure of his terms and conditions.

Owen currently plays for middling Stoke City, tenth on the Premier League table (33 points behind league leading Manchester United), but he has barely seen the field thus far during the 2012-13 season. Injuries have limited Owen to just four appearances after signing a one-year deal during the English summer.

Prior to Christmas, Owen had been linked Spanish club Espanyol, but those rumours failed to eventuate into anything of substance.

Glory coach Ian Ferguson told media Friday that the club was actively looking overseas for a replacement for Mehmet.

"We have got one or two irons in the fire overseas and we're waiting to see what happens with those, whether they are still progressing," he said.

"We have put a couple of things to certain players and hopefully if it comes off, it'll be great for Perth Glory."

Owen would join another former England striker in Emile Heskey (Newcastle Jets), Italy's Alessandro Del Piero (Sydney FC) and Japan's Shinji Ono (Western Sydney Wanderers) as high profile recruits that significantly bolstered interest in the league ahead of the 2012 season. Other aging stars, including David Beckham, have been linked to the A-League since.